Check out my article on Young Upstarts on a fun and easy ways for introverts to meet great people both personally and professionally. You can still meet a lot of people (and ultimately the best people for you) if you manage the process differently. That’s why I created these six easy steps for introverts.
Here are the first two strategies to use. You can read the other four strategies in the article.
Hope you enjoy, “Introverts’ Best Practice Guide To Meeting People And Building Relationships.”
1. Use fear as a compass.
Fear is actually leading you the direction to make your life better. Once you embrace uncertainty and use it as fuel, life will really open up for you.
Simply force yourself to step outside of your comfort zones. We all have to take leaps of faith.
You can even use social media like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to facilitate face-to-face connections in a way that provides an initial level of familiarity and comfort with new people.
Did you know that modern scientific and psychological studies prove that when you interpret difficult, uncomfortable situations as “challenges” and “adventures,” we are better able to cope with stress and anxiety?
Get creative and push yourself to extend your boundaries. View each interaction, and each new social setting as a unique challenge, opportunity, and adventure to meet new and wonderful people — who knows who you’ll meet, what you’ll learn, and what good could come to a stranger’s life thanks to your friendly smile.
2. Leverage the power of groups.
I’m a big believer in leveraging the power of groups to meet people. I think charity, nonprofits (museums, opera, symphony, etc.), and interest groups are fantastic places to meet new friends, network for business, and meet potential partners. Why? People’s defenses are down, there trust is given in a group (because everyone is there for a specific reason), and people are there to meet other people. You can meet anywhere from 5-15 new people in an hour or so, and many times you can do this in the middle of the week. It’s a much more effective and efficient way to go about it.
Google charities, museums, opera, symphony, parks, etc. along with your city name and check them out. You can also add search terms like young professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, gala events, happy hours, etc.
You can also contact the organizers and ask to work the check-in table at the start of the event. You can familiarize yourself with the room, meet people as they come in, and get yourself warmed up.
